Polishing machine



Oct. 12, 1937. w, P, EGAN 2,095,926

POLISHING MACHINE Filed April 26, 1935 Patented Oct. l2, 1937 PATENT OFFICE yPOLISHING MACHINE William P. Egan, Lynn, Mass.

Application April 26, 1935, Serial No. 18,372

'7 Claims.

This invention relates to a polishing machine, and more especially to a machine or attachment particularly adapted for use in the cleaning and polishing of heels in the finishing of shoes and the like. Heels of different materials and construction require different treatments in the finishing of Vtheir exposed surfaces and composite heels Irequire more than one kind of treatment, thus necessitating'more than one finishing operatiom For example, a leather heel-with a rubber top-lift thereon requires a light polishing treatment. for the leather portion, whereas the rubber toplift requires a heavier cleaning and polishing treatment. One of the objects of my invention is the production of an improved apparatus for performing both these treatments in one operation, thereby greatly reducing the time and cost of such treatments.

In the polishing ofheels it is also necessary properly to position the heels relative to the polishing brush, whereby to treat only the surfaces to be finished. VThis positioning of the heel varies with heels of different dimensions, and to perform'the work with greatest accuracy theheelY must be positioned both laterally and radially of the brush. A furtherpobject of my invention contemplates the provision of improved guiding meansA or ,guiding attachment for the heels to be treated, which means can be readily placed and conveniently adjusted relative to the brush to accommodate heels of varying dimensions and which will serve accurately `to locate the heels in proper operating position both laterally and radially of the brush.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereohf, selected for` purposes ofV illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which A Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of a heel polishing machine having my improved work guiding means applied thereto; Y

Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary 4sectional view of the guide adjusting means;

Fig. 5 is a `fragmentary front elevation of a modied form of the invention; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of a further modification thereof. Y

Referring more speciiically to the drawingby reference characters, i@ indicates a shaft mounted in bearingsV I2 supported on, a framev I4.

Mounted on the shaft directly adjacent to each4 `other are a relatively soft polishing brush l5' and a coarser cleaning and polishing brush I8. The brush I6 is particularly adapted to the polishing of heels of leather and the like, and the brush I 8 is more particularly adapted to the cleaning and polishing of heels of rubber and 5 the like.

Cooperating with the brushes I6 and `I8 (Fig. 4) is a guide or stop member comprising a head portion 20 and a rearwardly extending support 2l mounted to slide in andlaterally of an arm or bracket 22 (Figs.A 1 and 3) secured to the frame by bolts 24. The bracket is provided with a guideway 25 for the member 2li- 2| and a pin 28 carried by the member extends through a slot 30 in the bracket and carries a collar 32 which serves to hold the member in the guideway. The inner end 34 of the pin engages within a spiral slot 36 in a bushing 38 pinned at 40 to a shaft 42, whereby the member Eil-2| is shifted along the guideway upon rotation of the shaft. The 0 shaftmay be rotated by means of a handle 44 on its outer end and an expansion spring 46 is provided kfor preventing free rotation` thereof.

It will be noted that the bracket 22 is slotted at 48 whereby it can be adjusted longitudinally and thereby provide an adjustment of the member 20 radially toward and from the brushes. In using the device, the bracket is so mounted that the concave portion 50 of the head 20 is in a position closely adjacent to the periphery of the brushes but preferably free from contact therewith. The lateral` position of the bracket (Fig. 4) is such that the head 20 can, by rotation of the `handle 44, be adjusted laterally across, the periphery of the brushes. Indices 52 and 54 (Fig. 3) may be provided for indicating the lateralposition of the head relative to the brushes. The head has a work engaging face 5E on the forward end of the member 20-2I and, as shown in Fig. 3, when the member is set to Zero position this face coincides with the line between two brushes. The member may be adjusted to any desired position merely by rotating the handle 44 and, due to the action of the spring 46 and the steep character of the slot 36, will normally remain in such position during the polishing operations. If desired, however, the member may be locked in position by tightening the nut 58 on the pin 28.

When it is desired merely to polish heels such as the leather heel 60 shownV in Fig. 2, the member 2li- 2l is set to the zero position, whereby only the polishing brush I6 is exposed forwardly of the face 56. The heel may thereupon be'.

quickly polished by bringing it laterally against .engaged by the bristles 16,

such face and holding it in contact with the brush I6. In polishing curved surfaces of heels, it is usually desirable also to locate the heel radially of the brush and for this purpose I have provided two relatively spaced elements or pins 62 projecting outwardly from the face 56, these elements being preferably adjustable in slots 64, whereby to accommodate heels of different dimensions and vary the contact thereof with the brush. It will be apparent that the face 56 locates the heel laterally of the brush and the elements 62 locate the heel radially of the brush, whereby the heel may be quickly and accurately polished without the expenditure of undue care and time by the operator. The elements 62 may be removed and only the guiding Vface v56 used if desired, thus permitting both straight and curved portions of heels to be polished in one operation on the same brush, or the straight portions may be polished on another brush located closely adjacent to the brush employing the stop elements 62.

When it is desired to polish compound heels, such as the heel shown in Fig. 4 and embodying a leather base 66 and a rubber toplift 68, the member 2li- 2| is adjusted to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 4. In such position both brushes are exposed forwardly of the face 56. When the heel is placed against this face and contacted with the brushes, the leather portion contacts with the brush I6 and the rubber portion contacts with the brush I8. Thus the leather portion of the heel is polished by the relatively light brush I6 simultaneously with the cleaning and polishing of the rubber portion by the heavier brush I 8. The economy an-d advantages of thus performing these two operations simultaneously will be obvious.

In Fig. 5 I have shown the application of the guide to a single brush 10. The member 20-2I may be used with or without the elements 62 and may be adjusted laterally of the brush to any desired position for exposing such portion of the brush forwardly of the face 56 as is required to perform the polishing operation.

In some cases it is desirable tok give two polishing effects to adjacent sections of a heel and to leave a definite line of demarcation between such sections, such heel being either with or without a separate toplift. In Fig. 6 I have illustrated a vmodified form of the invention particularly adapte-d to perform this function. This apparatus comprises an arbor 12 having two relatively adjacent bristle supporting means or members 14 mounted thereon and respectively carrying bristles 16 and 18 of different character and similar to the bristles I6 and I8, already described. The members 14 are carried on a bushing 80 of twodiameters -having an annular shoulder 82 at their junction. Mounted on the smaller portion of the bushing is a metallic member having a hub portion 84 and a disk-like portion 86, collars 81 and 88 holding the members tightly together on the bushing along with the metallic member. The disk portion 86 of' the metallic member extends outwardly between the members 14 and its peripheral portion is bent laterally at to engage the .inner side face of the bristles 18. This engagement holds the bristles concentrated along a denite line or edge whereby the line of engagement of the bristles 18 with the heel is definite and relatively sharp as contrasted to that portion Thus when a heel is polished by the brushes 16 and 18, as illustrated in Fig. 6, the toplift portion engaged and polished by the brush 18 will stand out as a portion sharply distinct from the portion polished by the relatively softer brush 16.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a heel polishing machine, two rotary brushes located adjacent to each other on a common axis and respectively having bristles of such diierent stiffness as to adapt the brushes to act on leather and rubber heel lifts respectively, a member having a face disposed radially outward of the periphery of the brushes and adapted to act as a stop to movement of a heel laterally of the brushes, and means mounting the member for adjustment of said face laterally across the periphery of the brushes.

2. The machine defined in claim 1, plus means rotating with the brushes and engaging against the inner side face of one of the brushes to hold the bristles thereof concentrated along a denite line adjacent to the other brush.

3. In a .heel polishing machine, two rotary brushes of substantially equal diameters and 1ocated directly adjacent to each other on a common axis, the two brushes respectively having bristles of such different stiffness as to adapt the brushes to act on leather and rubber heel lifts respectively, a member having a face disposed radially outward of the periphery of the brushes and adapted to act as a stop to movement of a heel laterally of the brushes, and means mounting the member for adjustment of said face laterally across the periphery of the brushes.

4. In a heel polishing machine, a rotary brush,

means carried thereby and engaging against one side face of the brush bristles adjacent to the periphery thereof in a manner holding the bristles concentrated to a sharply defined edge along the side thus engaged, a member located adjacent to the periphery of the brush and having a face disposed to act as astop to the movement of a heel laterally of the brush and said edge, and means for adjusting the member laterally of the brush and said edge, the member being in all operative positions thereof free from contact with the brush.

5. In a heel polishing machine, a rotary brush, a member having a face disposed radially outward of the periphery of the brush and adapted to act as a stop to movement of a heel laterally of the brush, means mounting the member for adjustment of said face laterally across the periphery o-f the brush, and a pair of relatively spaced elements carried by the member and projecting outwardly from said face to act as stops for a heel radially toward the brush, said elements being located adjacent to the periphery of the brush and being adjustable in the member toward and from each other to vary the gap therebetween.

6. In a heel polishing machine a frame, a rotary brush supported thereon, an arm supported on the frame rearwardly of the rotary axis of the brush and extending transversely thereof to a point forwardly of said axis, a member carried on the forward end of the arm and having a heel guiding face disposed at the periphery of the brush, and manually operated means for adjusting the member on the arm longitudinally of said axis and said face transversely across the periphery of the brush, the arm being longitudinally adjustable whereby to space the member in the desired relation to the brush.

7. In a heel polishing machine a rotary brush,

means located laterally of the brush and providing a` gudeway, a member having a shank portion supported in the guideway and a T- shaped portion at its forward end disposed radially outward of and adjacent to the periphery of the brush, the forward face of said T-shaped portion providing a heel-engaging stop and the member being adjustable in the guideway to move said face transversely across the periphery of the brush, and a pair of elements carried by the member and projecting outwardly from said face in such relatively spaced relation as to permit the curved portion of a heel engaged with the elements to project therebetween and have limited contact with the brush.

WILLIAM P. EGAN. 

